First: It is apparent from Scripture, and most agreeable to reason, that the safety and welfare of nations are under the most peculiar care of God’s providence.  Thus He promised Abraham to save Sodom, if only ten righteous men could be found in it.  Thus the reason which God gave to Jonas for not destroying Nineveh was, because there were six score thousand men in that city.

All government is from God, Who is the God of order, and therefore whoever attempts to breed confusion or disturbance among a people, doth his utmost to take the government of the world out of God’s hands, and to put it into the hands of the Devil, who is the author of confusion.  By which it is plain, that no crime, how heinous soever, committed against particular persons, can equal the guilt of him who does injury to the public.

Secondly:  All offenders against their country lie under this grievous difficulty, that it is next to impossible to obtain a pardon, or make restitution.  The bulk of mankind are very quick at resenting injuries, and very slow in forgiving them:  And how shall one man be able to obtain the pardon of millions, or repair the injuries he hath done to millions?  How shall those, who, by a most destructive fraud, got the whole wealth of our neighbouring kingdom into their hands, be ever able to make a recompence?  How will the authors and promoters of that villainous project, for the ruin of this poor country, be able to account with us for the injuries they have already done, although they should no farther succeed?  The deplorable case of such wretches, must entirely be left to the unfathomable mercies of God:  For those who know the least in religion are not ignorant that, without our utmost endeavours to make restitution to the person injured, and to obtain his pardon, added to a sincere repentance, there is no hope of salvation given in the Gospel.

Lastly:  All offences against our own country have this aggravation, that they are ungrateful and unnatural.  It is to our country we owe those laws which protect us in our lives, our liberties, our properties, and our religion.  Our country produced us into the world, and continues to nourish us so, that it is usually called our mother; and there have been examples of great magistrates, who have put their own children to death for endeavouring to betray their country, as if they had attempted the life of their natural parent.

Thus I have briefly shewn you how terrible a sin it is to be an enemy to our country, in order to incite you to the contrary virtue, which at this juncture is so highly necessary, when every man’s endeavour will be of use.  We have hitherto been just able to support ourselves under many hardships; but now the axe is laid to the root of the tree, and nothing but a firm union among us can prevent our utter undoing.  This we are obliged to, in duty to our gracious King, as well as to ourselves.  Let us therefore preserve that public spirit, which God hath raised in us for our own temporal interest For, if this wicked project should succeed, which it cannot do but by our own folly; if we sell ourselves for nought; the merchant, the shopkeeper, the artificer, must fly to the desert with their miserable families, there to starve or live upon rapine, or at least exchange their country for one more hospitable than that where they were born.